Eagle <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > If the NeXT ain't a "dead duck," as Byron says, I don't know what is... > I mean, don't get me wrong - I LOVE my Cube and I'll never sell it... > and I'll keep using it until it croaks. But come on, it gets REALLY > hard to do fun stuff with old computers, when there's no source of > legal software for it. I'm getting rid of an old SGI for just that > reason...
Most software publishers will NOT release their old software, unless they went under years ago. Why? This is mostly speculation, but I think it has a lot to do with copyright, trademark, and patent laws. To be more specific: if they don't protect their rights now, they may not be able to protect any copyright, trademark, or patent on current (or future) products. It may not make sense, but since when does the law make sense? In all likelyhood, archives like Asimov continue to exist because IP owners choose to be blissfully ignorant. The archive doesn't hurt sales, so it doesn't matter if it exists. Similarly, if the rights owners remain blissfully ignorant of the violations, it is difficult for the archive owner to say that the IP owners implicitly agreed to let them distribute copywritten materials. What does that mean for us? Well, I suspect that nobody would say a peep about System 6 compatible software being posted to an archive. Provided, of course, we took reasonable precautions to ensure that nothing with a currently viable trademark (or from a current major publisher) got into the mix. So things like WriteNow would probably pass under everybody's radar. Of course there would be a slight legal risk (which is why these companies remain blissfully ignorant), but it would be nowhere near as risky as pirating Windows XP (or Windows 95 for that matter). Byron. -- System6 is sponsored by <http://lowendmac.com/> and... 123Inkjets.com <http://lowendmac.com/ad/123inkjets.html> Support Low End Mac <http://lowendmac.com/lists/support.html> System 6 Heaven <http://www.euronet.nl/users/mvdk/system_6_heaven.html> System6 info: <http://lowendmac.com/lists/system6.html> --> AOL users, remove "mailto:"; Send list messages to: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To unsubscribe, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> For digest mode, email: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Subscription questions: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/system6%40mail.maclaunch.com/> Using a Mac? Free email & more at Applelinks! http://www.applelinks.com
